Mystery of Native Americans' missing 10,000 years solved: Ancestors lived on wooded land between Siberia and Alaska 25,000 years ago

Ancestors of Native Americans used wood from the shrub tundra to build fires and keep warm, it is thought

It was a mystery how the ancestors of Native Americans survived the Ice Age.

But now a team of international scientists think they might have solved the mystery and it has to do with the ancient people living in a wooded tundra area after splitting from their Asian relatives 25,000 years ago.

The ancestors of Native Americans probably set up home in a region between Siberia and Alaska, which contained woody plants that they could use to make fires, according to a new study.

A group of academics at Royal Holloway, University of London, and the universities of Colorado and Utah analysed fossils to come to this conclusion.


Until now no-one had any idea about where the ancestors of Native Americans spent around 10,000 years before they arrived in Alaska and the rest of North America.

Professor Scott Elias, from the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway said: ‘This work fills in a 10,000-year missing link in the story of the peopling of the New World.’

The experts think that the group of people must have lived on the Bering land Bridge, which is now under the waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

The land bridge and some adjacent regions were not as dry as the rest of Beringia - the region surrounding the Bering Strait, including parts of Russia and Alaska – and the central part where the Native Americans are now thought to have lived, was covered in shrub tundra, which is the most common vegetation in modern Arctic Alaska.

The landscape is dominated by dwarf willow and birch shrubs, mosses and lichens.

Professor Elias said: ‘We believe that these ancestors survived on the shrub tundra of the Bering Land Bridge because this was the only region of the Arctic where any woody plants were growing.’

‘They needed the wood for fuel to make camp fires in this bitterly cold region of the world. They would have used dwarf shrub wood to get a small fire going, then placed large mammal bones on top of the fire, to ignite the fats inside the bones.


‘Once burning, large leg bones of ice-age mammals would have burned for hours, keeping people alive through Arctic winter nights.’

The academics analysed insect and plant fossils extracted from sediment cores taken from the ancient land bridge, to make the discovery. It now lies on the sea floor between 50 and 60 metres below the water’s surface.
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Tanja Askani with her artic wolves Nanuk an Noran in the snow .

Arctic wolves have white fur year-round which allows them to blend into their snowy surroundings. Their coat is long and silky with soft, thick under fur.

This is shed in the spring and the coat becomes shorter and less dense. The lengthy tail is bushy, and the legs are long giving it a lanky appearance. The feet are large and digitate with non-retractable claws.

The forefeet have five toes and the hind feet have four. The skull is broad and the face and ears are well defined. Ears are slightly rounded and the face is less pointed than other species of wolf.

This wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus). The year-round white coats and slightly shorter ears and noses distinguish them from the other subspecies of Canis lupus.


They are also slightly smaller in stature. Male Arctic wolves generally weigh between 34 – 46 kg, and females between 36 – 38 kg.
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Crew on a Swedish ferry got a surprise call out after a cat managed to trap itself underneath the boat, prompting a crew member to jump into the water and rescue the animal.

A cat somehow ended up on a ferry’s water jets and was crying for help. A crew member spotted the kitty and sprang into action.

“We heard the cat meowing when we were getting on to work, it had probably fallen into the water and was trying to crawl up. He sat there and was distressed,” said crew member Stellan Stenberg (the Local).

Johan Skärkarl put on his wetsuit and jumped into the cold water to rescue the cat. He put the cat on his stomach and swam back to the shore. “He is an animal lover and said immediately that he wanted to jumped in,” said Stenberg.


Stenberg captured the footage of the rescue and put it on YouTube, hoping it would help them find the owners. ”(The cat) didn’t run away but stayed with us and seemed curious,” he told the TT news agency.
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Silver the husky enjoy head massage and makes our heart melt

Siberian Huskies have captured the imagination of the masses, as well as artists, writers, and film producers, with their eye-catching looks and awe-inspiring talents. This medium-size working dog possesses power and athleticism. First developed as sled dogs — some are still used in this capacity — Huskies are remarkable dogs — and their ability to learn is staggering.

Many have fallen in love with the wild nature and pride of Huskies, but are unaware just what this breed is truly like. This is not a breed for everyone. Their beauty often drives people to purchase them, unaware of their difficult traits, which makes many Siberian Huskies prime candidates for shelters.

The increasing popularity of the breed has led to puppy mills and backyard breeders who do not properly breed for temperament. This is having an adverse effect on the breed at large and many of the negative traits are becoming common in these ill-bred dogs, including some traits that are not normal for Siberian Huskies.


If you look at all the positive points of their temperaments, you are left without any doubt that this is an amazing breed. They are intelligent and independent. They are affectionate with everyone but do not need to constantly pester you for attention. They are not known to be aggressive and generally do well in multi-dog homes. They do well with children and will welcome everyone into their home — yes, even intruders.
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Amazing healing sessions between humans and a resident wolf with a neurological disorder. One of many interactions at Earthfire Institute that deepens our understanding and connection with wildlife.

Named after a passionate earth-mother wolf with a fire in her belly to protect anything vulnerable, Earthfire was founded in 2000 to develop a new model of relating to nature through the voices of the rescued wildlife under its care.

A 40 acre wildlife sanctuary and retreat center, it is located on the western slope of Grand Teton National Park, near Driggs, Idaho.

Mission: To awaken ecological advocacy through human connections to the wild animals under Earthfire’s care.


Earthfire creates the opportunity for life-changing interaction between humans and wildlife. We provide a home for animals that are not capable of living in the wild, and a safe place for humans to meet them.

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Meet Zolushka the luckiest tiger in the world. This orphaned Siberian tigress was left to fend for herself when she was only a few months old -- her mother likely killed by poachers.

Less than 400 of these rare creatures exist in the wild - the survival of the species literally hangs in the balance with each individual animal.

IFAW, the International Fund for Animal Welfare worked with partners in far east Russia to rescue and rehabilitate this amazing animal. Watch as this incredibly rare tiger is released and returned to its wild habitat.

Tigers are the largest of all wild cats and are renowned for their power and strength. There were once eight tiger subspecies, but three became extinct during the 20th century. Over the last hundred years, hunting and forest destruction have reduced overall tiger populations from hundreds of thousands to perhaps 3,000 to 5,000.


Tigers are hunted as trophies and also for body parts that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. All five remaining tiger subspecies are endangered, and many protection programs are in place. Poaching is a reduced—but still very significant—threat to Siberian tigers.
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Native drumming and singing welcomed visitors to the The 19th Annual Benefit Pow Wow at the Bluebonnet Ballroom.

Vendors were selling authentic clothing, books and CDs about Native American culture. With native dance competitions, a hand drumming competition and storytelling, the ballroom was alive with culture.

The smell of fry bread wafted through the room as people watched Native Americans proudly display their heritage.

The pow wow raised money for the Native American Student Association scholarship and brought in people from all over Texas and as far as Oklahoma. The event was held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m Saturday.
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Head Singer — Lance Tachawickah
Head Man Dancer — Kasey Reynolds
Head Lady Dancer — Melissa Guerrero
Head Gourd Dancer — Timothy Yellowfish
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UT Arlington NASA Powwow from darryl lauster on Vimeo.

Three orphaned black bear cubs are being cared for by Oregon Zoo staff after being rescued by Oregon Fish and Wildlife.

A logging crew discovered the one male and two female bear cubs a week ago in a hollow log in western Yamhill County, Ore. The loggers from Cross and Crown were worried that their operation might have scared the mother bear away so they called the state Fish and Wildlife Department.

Oregon Zoo staffers in Portland are caring for three orphaned black bear cubs no bigger than puppies.

The Oregonian reports that a logging crew discovered the one male and two female cubs a week ago in a hollow log in western Yamhill County. The loggers from Cross and Crown were worried that their operation might have scared the mother bear away so they called Oregon Fish and Wildlife. A state biologist arranged for observation of the den. The mother bear visited briefly Wednesday morning, then disappeared.


Likely born in January, the cubs were moved to the Oregon Zoo last Friday. The zoo often helps Oregon Fish and Wildlife care for orphans until permanent homes can be found for animals that aren’t releasable back to the wild.

Austin, Texas, Zoo & Animal Sanctuary has offered to take the cubs. The Austin Zoo has sent animal trainer Trevor Fowler to Portland to learn the best ways to care for them.
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100 Years Ago: Lillian St. Cyr, First Native Star in Hollywood Feature

Princess Red Wing (1884 - 1974) - Born a member of the Winnebago Nation, in Nebraska, she was also know as Lillian Red Wing St. Cyr and Winona Red Wing.

Entering films in 1908, Red Wing was the first Native American actress to become a noted star, via D.W. Griffith (he produced a series of Red Wing films in the 1910s). She also made films for the Bison, Vitagraph, Kalem, Selig, Kay-bee, Pathe and Paramount studios.

She appeared in numerous one and two-reelers with James Young Deer, her husband who also directed several of these films. She had a prominent role in Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man (Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Co.

In the Days of the Thundering Herd (Selig, 1914), starring Tom Mix; two versions of Ramona - (Biograph, 1910), starring Mary Pickford and (Clune, 1916), with Monroe Salisbury; and White Oak (Artcraft, 1921), starring William S. Hart.


After the silent era was over, Princess Red Wing retired from films to devote her energies to Indian affairs in Washington, DC.
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A four-year-old North Atlantic right whale is doing much better now than he was a week ago.

On Monday, biologists from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission partially freed whale No. 4057 of the 100-plus yards of lead-weighted rope he was dragging, according to a press release. After several attempts, staff disentangled the whale -- who also had injuries on his head and flukes -- from most of the rope with a cutting grapple.

A small portion likely remains in his baleen -- the filter-feeding material that hangs from the upper jaw of baleen whale species. Biologists hope the whale will shed the remaining rope on his own, but they won't know until No. 4057 is seen again.

The rescue was a highly-collaborative effort: he was originally spotted on Sunday off Jacksonville, Florida by UNC Wilmington researchers conducting an aerial survey for the U.S. Navy. A Duke University boat team, also doing research for the Navy, attached a tag to track the whale until the rescue team arrived. The whale moved northward overnight, and disentanglement efforts occurred about 40 miles east of Wolf Island, Georgia.


North Atlantic right whales are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and only about 450 individuals still exist, according to the press release.
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Australia's wild dog, the dingo, is surrounded by mystery and controversy.

To some people it's a vicious outlaw, deserving a price on its head. To others it's creature symbolising wilderness. What is the dingo? Dog or wolf? Native or exotic animal? The documentary Wild Dog Dingo takes a factual look at this remarkable animals and its natural behaviour. Three years in the making, it is the most comprehensive film ever produced on the dingo.

The dingo is legendary as Australia's wild dog, though it also occurs in Southeast Asia. The Australian animals may be descendents of Asian dingoes that were introduced to the continent some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago.

These golden or reddish-colored canids may live alone (especially young males) or in packs of up to ten animals. They roam great distances and communicate with wolf-like howls.


Dingoes breed only once a year. Females typically give birth to about five pups, which are not independent until six to eight months of age. In packs, a dominant breeding female will kill the offspring of other females.
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Uncle Bob Randall teaches Bondi about Kanyini, the principle of connectedness through caring and responsibility that underpins Aboriginal life.

Kanyini is a connectedness to tjukurrpa (knowledge of creation or 'Dreaming', spirituality), ngura (place, land), walytja (kinship) and kurunpa (spirit or soul).

Kanyini is nurtured through caring and practicing responsibility for all things and manifests as unconditional love.

Tjilpi Bob Randall is a Yankunytjatjara elder from Australia, member of the Stolen Generations and former Indigenous Person of the Year. He is credited with bringing to light the issue of forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, in 1970. His song, "My Brown Skin Baby They Take Him Away," written at the time, is described as an "anthem" for the Stolen Generations.


Throughout his life, Bob has worked as an educator and leader for equal rights of all living, land rights and responsibility to the environment, Indigenous cultural awareness and preservation, and community development. (Via Wikipedia)

The wolf is designated by the European Union as a species of “community interest” requiring protection and conservation, under the following agreements:

The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (known as the Berne Convention): the wolf is included in Appendix II as a strictly protected species. However, amongst the countries that have signed the Convention, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey have made reservations excluding the wolf from this protection.

The Berne Convention has adopted an Action Plan for the conservation of wolves in Europe, which requires management of wolf populations across borders and the formulation of individual action plans for each country.

The wolf is, however, classified by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as being of ‘Least Concern’ in Europe, as although it is endangered or vulnerable at national level in several countries (Sweden/Norway, Germany, France), at European level it is increasing in both numbers and range.


Wolves are however still legally hunted in a number of European countries that are not members of the European Union, including Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, FYR Macedonia and Albania. Limited legal hunting is also carried out in Finland, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Sweden has been investigated by the European Commission recently for attempting to reinstate limited hunting to control wolf numbers and increase tolerance amongst hunters and livestock owners.

In European culture, there is a deep-rooted negative image of the wolf, based on fear of wolf attacks on humans, and the loss of livestock, and therefore livelihood, to wolf depredation. These factors, together with loss of suitable habitat to development and agriculture, and reduction in numbers of prey species, are the main obstacles to conservation and recovery of wolves in Europe in the 21st century.
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Watching these Beagles see sun and grass for first time after life in a laboratory will melt your heart

Sadly, Beagles are chosen for laboratory testing because of their friendly, docile and trusting nature, and are then used to try out medicines, household products and cosmetics.

Once they are no longer needed for scientific purposes some labs try to find homes for beagles - although this has challenges because the dogs have never been in a house, around children or other animals.

They will have lived their entire lives in metal cages.

The Beagle freedom project aims to find homes for these dogs and help rehabilitate them, giving them a second chance at life.


The dogs shown in this video had only ever known metal cages, but as soon as they're released into the bright sunshine - you can see their tails start wagging in delight.
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The First Nations Interpretation Internship at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park celebrates authentic cultural heritage, while also being future-focused.

It demonstrates an innovative way of bridging past, present and future, using traditions and technology.

This success story illustrates the value of strategic leaders who empower and trust staff to collaborate, innovate, and form partnerships.

Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai'pi is an important place for First Nations, who have respectfully visited the landscape for spiritual purposes for thousands of years.

Considered to be the most sacred place within Blackfoot traditional territory, Áísínai'pi is still used by First Nations leaders who visit to observe their history and stories depicted in the rock art, and perform ceremonies to communicate with the spirit world.

Arctic Wolf and Fox natural friends instead of enemies

"I'll be there for you" is probably the suitable song for this couple: the arctic wolf Tala and the fox Sylar are striking the workers and the visitors of the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Zoo in North California by their unusual friendship.

In the wild nature their relationship would hardly have existed: they are the arch enemies. Here in the Zoo they seem to have become the closest friends in the world. The admirable Sylar should be afraid of the ravenous Wolf, that is seven times bigger, shouldn't she? Well, she doesn't think so. Sylar is looking forward to every meeting with Tala, and vice versa.

They willingly play with each other, and their games probably look a little bit dangerous for someone who is out of topic: they run after each other and even bite each other. But Tala would never bite Sylar so strong he could hurt you: this little fox means too much in the life of this wolf.


The Zoo workers told the beautiful story of how these too got acquainted: separately Tala and Sylar were too lonely. That's why the keepers decided that the arctic wolf and the fox would probably be happier together. That's when the arch enemies turned into the arch friends.
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Mixing Fancy Dance, hip-hop with Supaman

UPDATE: The Apsáalooke American Indian hails from the Crow Nation Reservation near Billings, Mont., and on March 21, the MTV Iggy blog named him Artist of the Week from among hundreds of competitors.

Multi-talented artist Christian Takes Gun Parrish, Crow, also known as Supaman, excels at the traditional and the modern -- he's an acclaimed fancy dancer who showed off his skills on a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as well as a NAMA-winning hip hop artist.

He's not the first or only musician to combine urban street music with traditional sounds, but he's one of the best we've seen.

The fusion of flute, regalia, fancy dance, scratching, beatboxing, rapping, and even the robot was something he came to accidentally.


"I always kept them separate until I was asked to Fancy Dance and rap for Heritage Day in Bozeman," he tells the Billings Gazette. "I danced first and then I was going to change into my civilian clothes to rap.

But there wasn’t any time, so I ended up just performing hip-hop in my fancy outfit, which was something different and the people really thought it was special."

Parrish added that he has always wanted to cut an album that mixes Apsaalooke music and hip hop beats, and the time seems right to make it happen -- follow him on Twitter.com/supamanhiphop for the latest news and visit and his Reverb Nation page to hear some of his previous work. The video was shot at the Billings Gazette's Studio Enjoy by videographer Lloyd Blunk.
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A silkie chicken and a two-legged chihuahua who were both rescued from certain death have formed an unlikely friendship in Georgia.

Penny the chicken and Roo the chihuahua were rescued by Alicia Williams of Duluth Animal Hospital, who says the pair have become inseparable.

As well as playing together and sharing nap time, the bird and dog share all the attention lavished on them by customers at the animal hospital.

Penny the chicken was the first of the friends to be rescued. She was nine weeks old when Ms Williams, an animal science student, saved her from a laboratory.

'She was an experimental chicken in the program and she had run the course of the experiment, so that was it for her,' Ms Williams said. 'I happened to be there ... I asked if I could have her instead of them doing anything with her. I brought her home.'


Then, in February last year, Roo the chihuahua was found shivering in a ditch in a park. The seven-week-old pup, who was born without fully formed front legs, is believed to have been abandoned by dog breeders.

'It was probably a backyard breeder, breeding a bunch of puppies and he ended up deformed,' Ms WIlliams told the Gwinnett Daily Post, adding that it had been freezing on the night he was found

The dog and chicken not only found a safe place to live with Ms Williams, they also found the perfect playmate in each other.


The pair share an animal carrier to work each day, where they keep staff and clients at the animal hospital entertained.

Photos of the fluffy friends' antics have also attracted plenty of attention to the animal hospital's Facebook page.

'They get along really well,' Ms Williams said, although she admitted that sometimes Roo runs his chicken pal over with his custom-made cart.
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Follow the journey of a rebel named Black Wolf who breaks from his pack and survives to be one of the oldest wolves in Yellowstone.

He'll travel paved roads most wolves avoid at all costs as he ventures out to mate with a rival pack's females.

At nearly twice the age most wolves reach, Black Wolf's unorthodox lifestyle likely means he has more pups than any wolf in Yellowstone.

National Geographic cameras capture the action when he finally achieves alpha male status in his own pack.

The young wolf's story is a composite based on the experiences of several animals. It was created using the best Yellowstone wolf cinematography of the past decade and represents accurate wolf behavior.

Produced by National Geographic Television for National Geographic Channels
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A Florida panther kitten discovered near death on a wildlife refuge has been rescued and now stands a good chance of survival.

The kitten, found in mid-January when he weighed just one pound, was given emergency medical care to stabilize his condition and taken to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa for longer-term care.

Today he weighs more than four pounds, appears healthy and displays a good appetite, according to the zoo.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the rescue Thursday, having held off until it appeared likely he would survive, spokeswoman Carli Segelson said.

Biologists conducting research at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge discovered the kitten and found he was dehydrated and suffering from a dangerously low body temperature.


"He was very lethargic, listless and non-responsive," Segelson said.

Unlike other young panthers rescued from difficult situations, this one will not be returned to the wild since he was too young to have learned how to hunt from his mother. When he is older, he will be transported to the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park north of Tampa, where he will live.


The zoo is not putting the panther on display. He is being bottle-fed with Esbilac powdered milk replacer.

There was no word on what happened to his mother, but Segelson said there was no reason to think the kitten's mother was not alive. Biologists would have preferred to allow the kitten to grow up and take his place among the state's population of wild panthers, but that did not appear to be an option.


"We want to give any panther kitten the best opportunity to survive in the wild," said FWC veterinarian Dr. Mark Cunningham. "But clearly this kitten was in poor condition and almost certainly would have died without intervention.
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This sweet Husky really wants to make friends with a cat. You can almost hear her saying, "Play with me!"

Please Note: Whether you already have a dog and are considering getting a cat, or vice versa, it is very important to think about their first introduction. By letting a loose cat and an off-leash dog meet each other in an open room for the first time, you are probably setting up both animals to fail. Instead, plan ahead and take your time.

Matching Cats and Dogs

*If you’re thinking of getting a cat for your dog or a dog for your cat, it’s important to consider both animals’ personalities. It may be helpful to look for a companion that has already been exposed to the other species in the past.

*If a dog attempts to aggressively chase, pin, pick up or otherwise “manhandle” any cat, it is best to not even consider getting a cat — or at least to proceed with caution. Additionally, a dog who growls, lunges at or obsessively barks at a cat would probably do best in a cat-free environment. Likewise, a cat who growls, swats at, runs from or hides from dogs would probably prefer to not live with a dog.


*If a dog loves chasing things, then a fearful, shy cat who runs away probably wouldn’t be the best choice, as it could trigger the dog to chase. Similarly, an energetic cat who runs and pounces would fall into this same category. A better match here would be a calm, confident cat who will not run (in fear or play).

*If a dog plays roughly, it is best to avoid kittens or elderly cats who can easily be hurt. Instead, stick to playful adults who are interested in play, but are also confident enough to take care of themselves. If a cat is rambunctious or playful, a dog that is playful, but gentle, could be a great option.

*If a dog or cat is elderly, laid back, quiet or anxious, then a calm counterpart would be best. Avoid rambunctious companions who may annoy, frighten or otherwise bother the other pet.
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The real life story of a man's relationship with a wolf pack.

True story of Paul (Pavle) Balenovic, and his friend and companion wolf named LIK. In 1980 Paul decided to adopt a wolf cub from LIKA region (Croatia) and named the wolf Lik, a namesake of the Lika area. Lik lived permanently, for the first two years of his life, in Paul's house, on the outskirts of the town Zagreb.

From the very beginning he was given a german shepherd dog as the companion to live with in the following 11 years. Knowing only too well that Lik needed the open, wild natural spaces, Paul began regular visits to the wild highland areas of Velebit along with his wolf friend, staying there for days and nights. There, in the nature, they had a profound friendship and respect for each other, but their relationship became more complex and was not always idyllic.

Therefore it assumed a brutal rivalry that is proper for a wolf pack. Paul learned from Lik to think in a wolf's way and has himself now become a man-wolf. Owing to his spiritual kinship with Lik and persistent understanding for the wolves, Paul has gained a privileged status as no known human in the whole world has ever done before. Never will Paul have a mind to tame or domesticate Lik knowing how humiliating and damaging it can be for a wild and untamable animal.


He knew full well that Lik belonged to the wilderness and with his own kind. Paul went to Bosnia to work on one movie where he accidentally captured a young female wolf and brought her home to to be a companion to Lik. Liks dog companion Blue died in the age of 11.

The young Lacha, as she was named, very soon became inseparable from Lik and a little while later they had offspring. This was the best chance for Paul to organize his plan and release them back into the wild. Wolves were released in 1992. Paul wa not quite sure what to expect after the release. The bonding between Lik and Paul was too strong. He was waiting the cubs to grow up to be able to follow Lik whose only idea was to find Paul.


One day Lik decided to jump into his Land Rover through the window. This was the decisive moment in which the wolf linked himself with his human brother forever. In 1998 Lik died (in the age of 18 ). His devoted friend buried Lik deep in the wilderness of Velebit. Paul is now regularly visiting Velebit mountain He always travels alone to Velebit because it is the only way to maintain and hold the trust of the wolves. Paul says "Life of the wolf needs to stay a secret, for the wolf' sake".

Video of Navajo Baby doing Powwow Dance

The Navajo Nation Fair was established in 1938 to stimulate livestock improvements and management through exhibits for the Navajo people.

The Navajo Nation Fair has become a world-renowned event that showcases Navajo Agriculture, Fine Arts and Crafts, with the promotion and preservation of the Navajo heritage by providing cultural entertainment.

The Navajo Nation Fair is the largest American Indian Fair and Rodeo within the Southwest United States, with a daily average attendance of 15,000 visitors.


The Navajo Nation Fair starts each year after the Labor Day weekend and ending on the following Sunday. The Navajo Nation Fair consists of 25 coordinated events that extend over the seven days. The Navajo Nation Fair is a non-profit organization that is structurally established under the Navajo Nation and Federal codes as a 501-C3 entity.
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The Pataxó are a native tribe in Bahia, Brazil with a population of about 2,790 individuals.

They live mostly in Indigenous land Monte Pascoal, the southern city of Porto Seguro,(Bahia State - Brazil), less than a mile from the coast between the rivers Caraíva and Corumbau.

The territory between these two rivers, the sea (east)and the Monte Pascoal (west) are recognized as their traditional lands, which cover an area of ​​20,000 hectares.

The ‘dance’ described by Wied-Neuwied heavily evokes the ritual present today among many indigenous peoples in the northeast and east of Brazil called Toré: four men leaning slightly forwards advance and form a circle, some behind the others, singing hoi!hoi!hê! hê! he! while one man accompanies the melody with the sound of an instrument, alternating between loud and soft. At this point the women enter the dance, two by two, with their left hand resting on the back of the next woman. Then the men and women take turns to circle the container with the cauim to the sound of the “enchanting music.” They dance through the night until the container is empty (Wied-Neuwied 1958:436).


After the night of ritual dancing, log races were held: to display their strength, the young Indians ran to the forest, cut down a large cylindrical section of a barriguda trunk, extremely heavy when full of sap, and inserted a stick in it to make the log easier to carry. The strongest of the group lifted this section of trunk, carrying it on his shoulders and ran to the village pursued by the rest who tried to snatch the log off him (ibid). Douville claims that the Kamakã name for the race was “cutting the cake” and that after it was over the men washed and drank the cauim made by the women (Douville apud Métraux 1930:275), while Casal observes that the Kamakã also made use of inebriating or alcoholic drinks made from bees wax left to ferment after being strained and then diluted with water
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This sweet story will restore your faith in humanity.

Kind-hearted train passengers disembarked to give the trapped elephant some food during the successful rescue operation

A wild baby elephant who became trapped in mud after slipping on a railway embankment has been rescued. A herd were crossing tracks in the district of Goalpara, India, when the calf fell into the ditch.

Passengers from a passing train that stopped disembarked to help the animal, which was frightened by its ordeal.

Local people gave the young pachyderm food as attempts were made dislodge it from the mud.

The elephant calf was helped to safety after the successful rescue operation.
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Drones have helped capture some of the Internet's most incredible videos, but we think this one might go down as the sweetest.

While whale watching near the Hawaiian island of Maui, Vimeo user Justin Edwards used his GoPro-equipped drone to film a very sweet moment between a mother humpback whale and her calf. According to NOAA, finding a mother/calf pair in the ocean is fairly common. Hawaii-born calves are known to stay with their mother for about one year, usually becoming independent in route to or while on feeding grounds in Alaska.(Source)

From November until May, the waters of Hawaii are visited by over 1000 humpback whales. These humpback whales have migrated to the warm waters of Hawaii from as far north as the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, as far east as Glacier Bay and as far south as the Farallon Islands off the coast of central California.

These humpback whales come to the warm waters of Hawaii where they breed, calve, and nurse their young.


The humpback whale is the fifth largest of the world's great whales. Its scientific name, Megaptera novaeangliae, was given to it in 1781 by a German naturalist named Borowski, meaning "Big-Winged New Englander," referring to the size of the whale's huge tail fins and the fact that it was once widely sighted off the coast of New England. It's more common English name of humpback appears to come from the animal's tendency to round its back when diving.(Source)

Watch below as a baby humpback whale plays, swims and snuggles with its mother as the camera films from above.
Humpback Whales in Maui From a Drone from Justin Edwards on Vimeo.

Discarding a comfortable city life and donning comfortable Tibetan robe, artist Li Weiyi sweated and shivered for months on the vast grasslands in northwest China, rewilding a wolf cub she had saved on a sketching trip.

 For seven months, she lived, ate and slept "like a mother wolf" with her cub named Green (Ge Lin), first in a mastiff kennel, then in the deep grasslands, leading the young wolf back to the wild, and finally a pack.

The Sichuan native, 31, is the first recorded person in China who has raised a wolf to survive in the wild. The gray wolf, now two and a half years old, has been back in the wild for nine months with Li on the rewilding project. He has been on his own since then for 21 months.

Li says he was alive in May because a Tibetan herder checks occasionally and photographs Green with his distintive prints and markings.

This drama is unfolding near Zoige town in Zoige grassland on the northwest Sichuan Plateau. The grassland is in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, adjacent to Gansu Province.

Li herself last saw him in February 2011, attacking a yak herd with his pack. He came to her and licked her face before returning to his pack.


The cub was named Green after the color of the lush grasslands, and after the mistranslation of Brothers Grimm, who wrote the Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

Rewilding a wolf

 To get Green back to where he belongs, Li and Green risked almost certain death over months. They encountered fierce eagles and fierce Tibetan dogs that chased them for miles. Once she prised open a mastiff's jaws after it had attacked Green.

She survived a case of potentially deadly pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) and exhaustion when they ran out of food. She was amazed Green never tried to eat her while they were both starving.


Li never regretted her decision.

"Green is not a pet. He needs freedom to choose his own habitat and compete for survival. Freedom is a wolf's birthright. I can't take it away. He needs to live free like a wolf, with dignity," She told Shanghai Daily in a telephone interview from her home in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

"Even if Green died, at least he would die free. Between the safety of captivity and the danger of freedom, I chose a risky adventure for him."

In July Li described her legend-making experience with Green in a 400,000-word semi-autobiographical novel titled "Back to the Wolf Pack." Despite piracy, the book sold more than 100,000 copies in two months. It's China's next big "wolf" novel after the acclaimed "Wolf Totem" (2004) by Jiang Rong. It too tells the story of grasslands, wolves and a young man's rescue and raising of a wolf cub.


Jiang called Li "China's No. 1 wolf lady," and wrote in the preface: "I've read this four times and want to read it again. Many times while reading, I broke out in a cold sweat; I felt my blood burn and it brought me to tears." He was astonished that the wolf was accepted by a pack and awed by the courage and determination of both Li and Green.

Li said she was "quite stressed" after completing the book. "It may be a happy ending that Green survived and went back to the wild, but wolves are facing a much bigger threat. Maybe in just a few years, the wolf itself, 'Wolf Totem' and my story of Green will all become legends. People will only be able to learn about the soul of the wolf and lush grasslands from our books."

The book is in Chinese; translations are expected.


Li was praised by many readers but some accused her of wasting time and energy on animals instead of orphans and poor children in real needs. She laughs off criticism. "They don't understand it's not just about saving a life. Wolves are critical to the grasslands ecology," she said. "I hope our story can help change stereotypes of the wolf, bring changes in the grasslands and raise public awareness."

Fortunate encounter

Born in mountainous Ya'an in Sichuan Province, Li spent her childhood playing with squirrels, hedgehogs, snakes, wild boars, foxes, hares and pheasants. She frequently rescues strays on the street and campaigns to save endangered moon bears that are farmed in cages for their bile in China and Southeast Asia.

"Children who grow up in the mountains have a bigger world in their heart," Li said.


In her book, there's a photo of Green and Li, looking delicate and pretty. But she was born tough and stubborn. She wanted to paint at age five and once waited for three days outside the home of a painting master until he agreed to take her as a pupil. She sold her first works when she was 14 and held a solo debut exhibition two years later. She now lives in Chengdu and works as a painter.

"When I was sketching in the grasslands in 2010, I never thought a dying wolf cub crying for help was destined to affect my whole life," Li writes.

In May that year on her sketching trip she heard a wolf story from Tibetans: A male wolf had recently killed a lamb to feed his mate and newborn cubs. Herders killed the wolf. His grieving mate raided the sheepfold during the day and at night howled at the spot where the male was killed. She was hunted for days and poisoned, leaving behind seven starving cubs. A herdsman took them.


Hearing that story, Li couldn't resist the urge to see a real wolf for the first time and find those cubs. After days of travel and inquiries, she found the man's tent.

Inside was one, 10-day-old cub, a tiny bundle of gray fur, barely breathing. All the other cubs had died. Li crouched down and thinking he was dead as well, began to cry. The little wolf came to her, whimpering and nuzzling for milk.

The herder agreed and she took the sick cub back home to Chengdu.

Growing pains

"If I could do it again, I would never bring him back to Chengdu, the days in the city were miserable for him," Li said. "I never felt sorry later when he was bitten by mastiffs or chased by Tibetan dogs. Those were necessary life lessons."


Back in Chengdu, Li smuggled the cub into her home where she lived with her parents, hiding him in her studio, then moving into a flat with him. She fed the cub meat congee, based on the recipe in "Wolf Totem." She later fed him raw meat. Chocolate is his favorite dessert.

Li was moved by the wolf's territorial consciousness, his pride, vitality, instinct for survival and desire for freedom. He also had a pure love for those he trusted, namely Li.


"That's what moved me to risk my life returning him to the wild. There are fewer and fewer things that truly touch us in life today," Li said.

Far from trying to tame Green, she let him run free in the suburbs and on the big rooftop of her apartment building. But it became harder and harder to hide him in the neighborhood, especially when he learned to howl after listening to Li's recordings of wolves' howling. But his howl is a bit inauthentic and that's one way she can locate him.


Complaints from neighbors and warnings from the police upset her. Green was then two months old and weighted around 12 kilos.

A routine afternoon walk turned into a nightmare - Green ran off. When Li finally spotted him he was trapped in a busy intersection, frightened by bright headlights, screeching brakes, honking horns and shouting drivers.

"At that moment, I saw a wild life in collision with modern civilization," she recalled. She had to confine Green to the cement rooftop but it was taken over for a LED screen. That's when she knew she had to take him back.

Li did extensive wolf and rewilding research that included reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the United States. She determined to return him to Zoige grasslands for training and release. That was July 2010. Green was two and a half months old.


Shared life and death

"Only after sharing life and death together will the wolf treat you like family. Strong as I am, it was a narrow escape from death to walk with him through all this. I could barely hang in," Li wrote in an e-mail to Shanghai Daily.

For the first stage of wilding, Li took Green to a kennel for mastiffs owned by a friend in Zoige. It was near his natural home and relatively safe from hunters. But it was also dangerous because mastiffs fight wolves and Green was too small to compete.

However, after several tentative, get-acquainted fights, the mastiffs accepted the wolf and they played together. Thus, Li and her wolf settled down in the kennel. There, Green learned how to kill game, store food and survive in the wild.

In October 2010, Li and Green set out on their first trip to find a wolf pack. They failed when Green tried to lead a wild wolf back to Li, whom he trusted. Green was cruelly bitten on the shoulder. The two also went hungry for three days after they ran out of food.

Late that winter, better equipped, she tried again.

"Winter is hunting season for the pack, which urgently needs new blood (new members to hunt). Green is eight months old, capable of hunting but no threat to mature wolves, so it'll be easier for the pack to accept him in their society," she explained.

This time, they succeeded. Green ran off to find other wolves and didn't come back. The last time Li saw him was in February 2011, when she saw nine-month-old Green and his pack attacking a yak herd. She chased him for miles on foot and called his name. Green stopped, ran back to her, rubbing against her and licking her face.


She hugged the cub she had raised, briefly put a leash on him, and then forced herself to let him go after around 10 minutes.

It's been over 20 months since Li and Green have been apart. She often sees him in dreams, mostly nightmares, in which he is hunted or killed.

In May, Li's herdsman friend Tashi spotted Green eating salted meat they left around his ranch, to lure him occasionally and document his survival. But Green had gone by the time Li, then living in Chengdu, arrived at his home in Zoige. She took comfort in the pictures Tashi had taken and the remains of Green's hearty meal.

"I never doubted his ability to hunt and survive. It's human hunters I'm worried about," Li said in the interview. "I hope to see him again, but also afraid to find him hurt, afraid that I couldn't let him go again."

Green was not afraid of Li and her fiance, and she doesn't believe he would attack other people. But picking up the scent of human beings is dangerous for a wolf because his pack will smell humans, who mean danger, and expel him.

Whenever she has a chance, she takes a break from her painting world and goes in search of Green.

Green's prints are easy to recognize because he lost a toe when a terrified woman in Chengdu stamped her high-heel shoe on his paw. He's smaller and thinner than most wolves, but his fur is thicker. He has a round scar on his forehead where he beat his head against kennel bars in an effort to get out and help his mastiff friend fighting another dog. And his howl isn't quite right.

Li's life is calmer now, her health restored, her book completed. Painting fills the wolf gap in her life. She paints Green and so far has 10 watercolors, portraits and landscapes. She aims to raise funds to help wolves with an exhibition and charity auction.

The wolf lady hopes to fund a wolf reserve in China, which has none.


Meanwhile, her fiance Yi Feng, a freelancer, is editing their videos of Green into a documentary. A video titled "Beauty and the Wild Wolf" was released on the Internet and created a buzz.

"One day people will discard the stereotype of wolves and treat them in a fair way," Li said. "I will do everything I can to be the first woman devoted to protecting wild wolves in China."

Wiping out the wolves

Wolves once roamed throughout much of China, which had various gray wolf species, such as the Tibetan and steppes wolves.But loss of habitat to development and grazing and years of hunting and slaughter decimated the population.

Today wolves live in mid- and high-latitude regions of northwest and northeast China, in the Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions.

Reliable population figures are not available. A study in 2008 indicated no more than 2,000 wolves in the Hulunbuir Grasslands of Inner Mongolia.


The wolf plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, which was disrupted when their grassland habitat was converted to industrial herding and agriculture, as described in "Wolf Totem."

Coal mining and human encroachment took more land and the desert moved in.

In 2008, 12 people in Qinghai Province were infected by deadly pneumonic plague, traced to its carrier, the Himalayan marmot. The rodents were reproducing in frightening numbers since wolves, their natural predators, were being wiped out.

This was one of many problems caused by wolf extermination and it drew nationwide attention but little effective action has been taken to protect wolves.
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